Decisions and remorse
The sun was already out when Rick finally returned with Hershel and Glenn. But they weren't alone. They had brought a boy in, blindfolded and with a nasty wound on his leg.
"Patricia, prepare the barn for surgery" Hershel asked the woman.
"Who the fuck is that?" T-Dog asked.
"Randal" Glenn replied.
Daryl helped Hershel get Randal into the barn while everyone else gathered in the dining room of the house to talk. Rick explained them how, in the time they were at the bar trying to get Hershel home, three other men entered. They got into a fight and had to take them out. Randal was with the group searching for these men, but when he fell off a roof, with his leg in a fence he got abandoned.
"And I couldn't just leave him there" he said as Daryl entered.
Carol looked at him, trying to smile a little, but she realized the conversation they had had last night had left deeper scars than she imagined.
She waited for the conversation to be over, Hershel also coming back and saying the boy needed a few days to recover. Nothing was settled so they all left. Carol stood up and went out after Daryl.
"So that's it? Now you're giving me the cold shoulder?" she asked, but Daryl didn't stop. She sighted, deciding to leave him alone for now.
A week passed with them barely exchanging a word. Daryl went back on sleeping on his mattress and Carol spent her nights in the house taking care of Beth and sleeping when Daryl was out. Those words spoken had fallen heavy for him as they had been for her.
Finally the group decided taking Randal out and leave him somewhere far from the farm. But that plan didn't work as they returned all of them covered in blood and filth. A group of walkers had attacked them and Randal had somehow helped. What was to do now, no one knew.
Daryl decided to take things into his own hands.
Carol was folding some clothes when she stumbled upon one of Daryl's shirts. She sighted squeezing it in her hands and Lori noticed it.
"Lately you spend your nights next to Beth. And I have noticed you barely speak to Daryl…has something happened?"
"I guess…our past is still hunting us, more than I had expected it to do" she sighted finally putting the shirt aside.
"The problem with this life we live now is that we tend to think much too often of the past. Because it is the only thing we have to hold on. Our present, our future is so uncertain and frightening that we tend to escape in the past".
"Yes, but we don't have time to linger in the past. We always need to be present… in the present to be able to survive".
"And speaking of…what are we going to do about Randal? We would feel better if we had a plan" Lori said to the approaching Shane and Rick. They all gathered around.
"Is there a plan?" Andrea asked.
"Are we going to keep him here?" Glenn asked.
"We'll know soon enough" Rick said making a sign towards Daryl who was approaching. His hands were covered in blood.
"The boy there gotta a band. Thirty men, heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead and our women they're… gonna wished they were.
"What did you do?" Carol asked.
"Had a little chat with him".
She looked long at him and at his hands, understanding how what that chat had been all about. She turned around walking a few steps away.
"No one goes near this guy" Rick demanded.
"Rick…what are you going to do?"
"We have no choice. He's a threat".
"We have to eliminate the threat".
"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked.
"It's settled and we're doing it today".
Rick turned around and Dale walked after him. It was clear to Carol that Dale couldn't agree with Rick's decision.
Carol resumed folding the clothes. Daryl approached her and waited for her to stop for a moment. She looked up at some point, shortly.
"What I did…"
She shook her head as a sign that she didn't wanted to hear him out.
"I don't know what you did…if you had to for this group, fine. But you definitely don't have to come to me to get my approval. It's just that…right now I can't look into your eyes because I see an awful reflection of mine and… I won't let myself slip there" she said quickly. She turned around and left with her basin of clothes.
Daryl growled and turned on his heels. He left angry as far as he could, he wanted some peace of mind from everybody. As he was cleaning and arranging his crossbow, Dale approached him.
"The whole point of me coming up here, was gonna get away from ya people".
"Gonna take more than that" Dale said.
"Carol send ya?" Daryl asked. He looked at Dale somehow hoping he would say yes.
"Carol is not the only one concerned with you… your new position in this group".
"Man, I need my head strong. This group's broken".
"You act like you don't care".
"'Cause I don't".
"So live or die you don't care what happens to Randal?"
"Nope"
"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life? It really doesn't matter one way or the other. Your opinion makes a difference".
"Ain't nobody looking at me for nothing" he said slipping his crossbow on, starting to walk towards the forest.
"Carol is! And I am, right now".
He stopped and looked behind.
"And you obviously…you have Rick's ear".
"Rick just looks to Shane" he approached Dale. "Let him".
"You cared about what happened to T-Dog and what he means to the group. You cared about Rick, Glenn and Hershel missing so long. Torturing people…that isn't you. You're a decent man. Just like Rick. Shane…his different.
"Why is that? 'Cause he killed Otis?"
Dale looked shocked at Daryl, realizing he also knew the truth.
"Who told you that?"
"Tells some story. How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick ain't stupid. He didn't figure that out, 'cause he don't wanna. Like I said. Group's broken".
He turned and walked away, leaving Dale behind. Right now, Carol was the only thing tying him to that group. And they had slipped, yet again.
They all gathered at sundown in the house to discuss about what there was to do with Randal. Carol pulled her cardigan tighter, nights were getting cooler. She leaned against a door, sighting, not really knowing how a decision like that should be taken. Daryl also entered and the two exchanged a short look. Rick finally appeared with Lori and they were all gathered.
"So how are we going to do this? Will we vote? Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked.
"Let's just hear what everyone has to say" Rick said.
"Where I see it…there's only a way to move forward" Shane said.
"Killing him…right?" Dale stepped in. "Why even bother to take a vote?"
"If people believe we should spare him, I wanna know" Rick said.
"Well, it's just a small group. Maybe just me and Glenn" Dale said.
But Glenn didn't seem to agree. Randal wasn't one of them and they had lost too many people to begin with. And even if Dale considered Glenn was just scared, he didn't change his mind.
Dale looked at Maggie asking what she thought.
"Couldn't we just keep him prisoner?" she asked.
"Would be just another mouth to feed" Daryl stepped in.
Carol looked at him, realizing he considered himself more part of the group than he was eager to give in.
"Could be a mild winter" Hershel said.
"We could work on the ration of the food" Lori said.
"He could be an asset" Dale also said. "Give him a chance to prove himself".
"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.
"We're not letting him walk around freely" Rick stepped in.
"You could put an escort on him" Maggie said.
"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane asked rather mean.
"I will" Rick said. "I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy".
"His right, I wouldn't feel safe with him anything else than tied down" Lori said.
Carol rubbed her eyes hearing them debate more and more. Shane wanted him dead, Dale couldn't let that happen. Driving him out again, didn't seem as an option. They got to talking about how they would kill him if they would go through with it. Carol sighted as Dale was boiling up, saying how the boy was tortured now executed. There wasn't left much humanity in them and Carol started agreeing with Dale.
"Stop it" Carol said. Daryl looked up at her. "Just stop it all of you. We didn't ask for this. We can't decide upon someone's life like this. And Dale is right. Why did you bring him in, if you were going to kill him eventually? Why not let him out for the walkers, why did you get his hope up again? We need to take a decision, but really making us do so…"
"Not speaking up, is killing him with your own hand" Dale said.
"I don't want to see us taking this decisions Dale and I surely don't want to see any human killed, moreover now that we, the ones left breathing, should stick together not kill each other. But you brought him here, Rick, Hershel, Glenn, I am sorry it will have to be your decision. From my point of view, I don't agree with his killing".
"Ok, just stop it" Rick said. "Does anyone have anything else to say?"
Rick looked around, but no one said anything. Dale was going mad.
"You once said we don't kill the living" Dale said.
"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us" Rick replied.
Dale asked and begged of them to do what was right. His eyes watered, he felt alone. Andrea looked at him long.
"He's right. They both are, Dale and Carol. We should try and find another way".
"Anybody else?" Rick asked. He looked around no one else said anything. Dale walked to Daryl.
"You're right. This group is broken" he said placing his palm on the man's shoulder. Then he walked away.
Carol wiped the tears from her cheeks and also exited. Daryl wanted to walk after her, there were some things he needed to tell her, but Rick stopped him on the porch.
"I…need your help" Rick said.
Daryl looked long at the man. His eyes were sincere. He nodded.
They were all gathered around the fire, without Rick, Shane and Daryl who were about to execute Randal in the barn. There was silence, only the crickets sang, no one said a word. Carol was staring at the fire, when Rick appeared with Carl.
"We're…keeping him in custody for now" Rick said.
Lori's eyes were on Carl. She sent him in the house.
"I'm gonna find Dale" Andrea said to Carol and the woman nodded content.
They sat again around the fire, but not for long as they heard a long scream and it sounded like Dale. They all jumped on their feet.
Daryl was in the barn he had just tied Randal. He grabbed the lantern and ran out. They ran towards the sound, Daryl was the first to arrive, finding a walker over Dale. He jumped on the walker pulled him away and stuck his knife in its head. As he stood up and looked at Dale, his blood froze in his veins. Dale's guts were opened, the man trying screaming because of the pain. Daryl jumped up, calling the other, signalizing where he was.
"Hang in there buddy!" he bent to Dale, pleading him to stay alive.
They all arrived one by one, Rick bent to him, asking of Dale to listen to the sound of his voice. He screamed for Hershel, who arrived soon after. They were all bent to Dale trying to keep him alive.
"We need to move him" Rick said.
"He won't make the trip" Hershel explained.
"You have the make the operation here" Rick was desperate.
"Rick…" Hershel said and shook his head. "He won't make it".
"No!" Rick screamed turning around, kicking the grass with his foot. Lori started crying helplessly, Andrea was trying to hold her tears but she couldn't and Carol was swallowing the sounds of her tears which were running down her cheeks.
Dale was letting sounds out of desperate pain, Lori was in shock as Andrea was letting her pain out. Carl embraced his mother, not a single soul knew what there was to do.
"His suffering" Andrea sobbed. "Do something".
Rick pulled out his gun, Shane was turning in circles rubbing his head and face. Rick pointed his gun to Dale's face, his own visage crooking in pain. His hand was shivering; Daryl approached him and took the gun from his hands.
Daryl kneeled in one foot and looked at the suffering Dale. He was trying to say something, but it was impossible for him. His eyes were begging and Daryl couldn't say if to stay alive or to die. Neither way he was in grate pane and Daryl needed to end it.
"I'm sorry, brother" he whispered in a low town. Carol turned around as she heard the shot.
Carl had finally calmed down, falling asleep. Carol brewed some tea out of some plants Patricia gave her, they needed something to cool their nerves. They all gathered around the fire, pouring themselves a cup of the hot brew. Carol took a cup and walked a few steps to the one sitting the farthest, but still with the group. She handed the cup to Daryl. He looked up in her eyes. They had a soft expression, something he would always find in her. He took the cup and grabbed her hand, pulling her down next to him.
"Sit for a while" he said. "Ya always looked at me different Carol. Different than the whole world, from the first moment ya talked to me. And I always saw myself better in ya eyes or found something to comfort me there. So when ya say ya can't stand the way I look at ya…"
"It's not the way you look at me…but how I see myself when I look at you".
"I wanted ya in my life. Always. Just there, ya presence was a part of me. I couldn't imagine my life without it. So when ya said it might have been better that ya ended up with Ed and me leaving town, I can't accept that. Because that meant that ya left my life".
"Look, Daryl. I get what's good, what you need and you won't ever be able to make me act different. Regardless of how that will make you feel about me. And you'll have to…just understand this" she said still staring at the fire. She stood up to walk away, but she turned to him. She bent and kissed his cheek before leaving.
Note: Dale was really a big loss for the group, but it will also make them come closer.
Thanks for reading!